Thanksgiving Meal

[OnyxCougar]

My husband's Best Friend (we'll call him Hawkwind) came down from Jersey and we've had a fantastic time while he's been here, but he leaves Saturday morning, so I thought it would be nice to do the traditional thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. I get paid tomorrow, so I'm going shopping tomorrow morning.

I'm not big on "home made", I'm FAR FAR away from anything resembling Betty Crocker. I need help with a few things:
The menu looks like this:

Turkey (feeding 6 people, how many pounds should it be and what is the best way to cook/prep it?)

Stuffing (not the in bird kind. the stove top kind, from a box)

Mashed Potatoes (4 cheese, the instant kind)

Need a vegetable, I'm thinking those baked yams with marshmellow things but dont have a clue how to make them. I'm not down with the whole "greenbeans with onion things".

Pumpkin Pie (Store bought) (for me and the kids and Hawkwind)

Coconut Cream Pie (Store bought)(for the husband)

Oreo balls (for all of us while I cook)

Egg nog (store bought, non alcoholic) (because we all love egg nog.)

Can anyone help me out?

[Happy Monkey]

One cool thing to do with a turkey is to debone it before cooking. Cooking time is dramatically reduced, and carving is a cinch.

[OnyxCougar]

oooh...so the butcher will debone the turkey..... ooooooo.....

[perth]

I've never tried thawing a turkey, but won't you have a hard time safely and completely thawing a bird in that time?

As for cooking it, I'm a big Alton Brown fan, and his recipe is here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...6_8389,00.html

Mashed potatoes, I would just make em from real potatoes, because it's just so easy. I can understand instant rice, but mashed potatoes from scratch is a world of difference from instant.

What are oreo balls?

Edit: Actually, I think you can get turkeys that aren't totally frozen, so that's probably not a big deal.

[OnyxCougar]

Yeah, I was planning on a not prozen or previously frozen but now thawed version.

Oreo balls are EXTREMELY yummie little things I found at my friends house this year:

Ingredients: (do not use off brand or it doesn't taste right)
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 pkg Philly Cream Cheese
2 pkgs nestle white chocolate chips

Tools:
Cookie sheet or pizza pan type surface (you'll need 2 portable surfaces)
Double boiler or glass bowl + microwave
Wax paper or FOIL cupcake liners
Toothpicks
Food Processor or big Zip lock - type baggie

Prep:
Chill cookie sheets or pizza pans until cold.

1. Put oreos in Processor or Baggie and crush until fine.
2. Add Philly and squish it all together until well mixed.
3. Put wax paper on the chilled cookie sheet/pizza pan
4. Roll mixture into balls about 1" diameter and place on cookie sheet
5. Put a toothpick in the middle of each ball.
6. Continue until sheet is filled or you run out of mix.
7. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Then:
1. Put the chips in a glass bowl and microwave, stirring every 2 minutes with a fork until melted. (Or melt in a double boiler.)
2. Get the chilled balls and the second chilled surface out
3. Cover the 2nd surface with wax paper or set out the cupcake liners.
4. Using the toothpicks, dip the balls into the chocolate, let drip, then place on second surface (or in liner).
5. Remove the toothpicks and drizzle remaining chocolate over the holes left by the toothpicks.
6. Chill balls for 2 hours, or until ready to serve.

[Elspode]

Hawkwind? Big fan of 70's Brit Prog Rock, is he?

[perth]

Those sound fucking great. I'll give 'em a try for Christmas this year.

[OnyxCougar]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Hawkwind? Big fan of 70's Brit Prog Rock, is he?

Actually, I dont know, but that's what his MMORPG players are generally named.

[OnyxCougar]

Originally Posted by perth

Those sound fucking great. I'll give 'em a try for Christmas this year.

I'm serious. Almost a contender for Tomas Rueda's thread.

[wolf]

This is a Sonic Attack. Use your wheels, that is what they are for ... Damn Cool El.

(I too thought of the band name and then figgered he was just some neo.)

Goodness. They still exist.

[OnyxCougar]

Back on topic, I found a recipe for the "candied yams". I can't wait.

[footfootfoot]

O'coug,

I'm checking out your menu and it looks pretty good from a non crocker P.O.V. As someone who really loves to cook, I don't quite see any problem with the box/instant program. Stovetop stuffing is pretty damn tasty, eps. if you are as baked as the turkey, but that is a different thread. Ahem...

But if you want to quickly and safely thaw a frozen turkey, get a Jubba sized pot or a clean ish 5 gallon pail and fill it with hot (about 120ºf) water. Unwrap the turkey and plunge it in the water. When the water gets cold, dump it and add more hot water. keep doing this until the turkey is pliable.

Salmonella is killed with proper cooking so don't listen to the fear mongers out there telling you blah blah blah. Ask them if they wash their hands before they cook.

Actually, check that, you don't want to know.

Anyway, the bird is done. don't stuff it, it makes the cooking time too long. Baste if you really feel the need to, but I'd skip it. every time you open the oven, you need to tack on five minutes cooking time for the oven to get back up to temp.

Use a meat thermometer, stick it in the breast (not all the way through into the cavity) and when it says 180ºf, you're good to go.

They sound delicious, but I'll pass on the oreo balls. Girlish figure and all that, ya know. But for some one who claims to be far from betty crocker, they sound like a heck of a lot of work.

Rock on.

[footfootfoot]

BTW,
Hawkwind, isn't that a euphemism for birdfart?
Just asking.

[OnyxCougar]

An update on the Oreo Balls:

If you choose to microwave the white chocolate, follow the directions on the wrapper for "dipping chocolate".

Note: Chocolate HARDENS when you nuke it too long. (Whoda thunk it?)

and make sure those balls are not much bigger than 1" diameter. trust me on this.

[OnyxCougar]

As a post script, everything worked out well. I bought the turkey smoked, already cooked, all I had to do was heat it. Which I did. Husband carved. (Our first real Thanksgiving, since I worked last year.)

I made the baked yam things. Note: add cinnamon and nutmeg next year. Other than that, it was really good.

I made homemade gravy out of the turkey juice and wondra. No lumps. I was proud.

Stuffing, Potatoes, Nog and Pies were all storebought, and thus were fine.

All in all, it was nice, and of course, 4 + hours of work demolished in 15 minutes.